Rail greasing appliance



Nov. 28, 1939. s. c. HURRELL I RAIL GREASING APPLIANCE Filed Sept. 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l V Nov. 23, 1939. G, c, HURRELL 2,131,235

RAIL GREASING APPLIANCE Filed Sept. 7, 1937 2 sheets sheet 2 NVME'NTDB G. c'. flaw/e 6 A4,

Patented Nov. 28, 1939 ATENT orrlcs RAIL GREASING APPLIANCE Guy Clement Hurrell, London, England, assignor to The P. 85 M. Cc. (England) Ltd., London, England, a British company Application September '7, 1937, Serial No. 162,813 1 In Great Britain SeptemberS, 1936 4 Claims. (01. 184-3) This invention relates to rail greasing appliances ofthe kind adapted to be mounted upon the rail and actuated automatically by the wheels of a passing train so as to force grease from a reservoir on to the face of the railwhich it is desired to grease. Such appliances are generally mounted upon the outer rail of the track at a curve for thepurpose of greasing the .inner face of the outer rail as it iswell known that by such grease application economy in engine power consumption and reductionin tyre flange and rail wear is brought about. In suchappliances it has already been proposed toemploy a bevelled greasing plate for distributing the lubricant over the side face of the rail and the chief object of the invention is to evolve a generally improved.

form of rail lubricatcr which will be of simple construction and cheap to manufacture and which can be easily and quickly fitted to the rail to which it is to be applied. A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the quantity of grease or other lubricant discharged at each operation can be effectively controlled and in which the appliance can be easily adjusted by a relatively unskilled workman to vary the grease output.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of the grease container without pumps attached.

Figure 2 is a part sectional side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a side elevation on an enlarged In its preferred form the lubricating device comprises a cylindrical grease container I having one end closed with a removable cover '2 which forms the abutment for the thrust of a spring 3, the free end of which urges forward the sliding piston 4 which pushes forward the grease G with a light pressure, for instance, a pound or so per square inch, which is suilicient to propel it through the duets 6 to the outlet or communicating ports '5. These ducts are formed within the substantial lugs or blocks of metal 'formed upon the closed end of the cylunderv I. These =lugs..serve for the supporting top face of the pump body l2.

and locating of the container I on the rail, and they have contact points 8 and 9 which are pulled against the vertical portions of the rail and substantially horizontal contact points it.

The lugs 5 also serve for the attachment of 5 bolts H which pass through the rail web, and hold the grease container to the outside, and the greasing plate to the running face of the rail.

The faces of the lugs in which the ports l are 1 formed have smooth and preferably fiat ends for the attachment of pumps [2 which preferably are in the form of angular blocks of metal of substantial construction, each of which is fitted with plungers [3, with itsaxis substantially ver- 1 tical, and with .its head projecting above the The plunger i3 is provided with a flange or stop I4 to limit its upward movement, and to receive the thrust of spring l5. I v

The lower extremity it generally of much reduced diameter, is a working fit in the hole ll which constitutes the barrel or cylinder of the pump. This barrel ispreferably removable, and the top or a shoulder formed atso-me part of its length serves as a thrust or support for spring [5. The lower end of hole IT is preferably provided with a simple ball valve l8 held up by a light spring l9. I

In the description pump in the singular is sometimes mentioned, and at other times pumps in the pluraL-and it is to be understood that one pump may be used effectively, but preferably two are used as shown on'the drawings, each pump supplying the grease.for'approximately half the length of the greasing plate.

The action of the pump is as follows:

- When tread of the railway vehicle passes over the top ofplunger IS the latter is pushed downwards, the working end- It enters hole El and is :4 withdrawn by the action of spring iii. A vacuum is created in Hand grease from the space 29 fills up the hollow formed in ll, at the next strokegrease in ll is forced past the valve it into space M, thence through holes 22 and 23 2 and dischargedinto channel 24 formed in the lug ii to which the pump is attached. a

As the grease is withdrawn from space it it is replenished continuously by fresh material entering inlet port 25 in body of pump 52 through port. I and duct 6 in the lug from the grease container l.

The construction of the pump as above described permits of it workingwithout an inlet valve, as;,theitoprof plunger I6 is withdrawn 5 especially when bubbles or pockets of air are present in the pump.

The pumps 12 are adjustably held against the vertical facings of lugs by one or more bolts 26 passing through slotted holes 21 and Within the limit of adjustment, inlet port 25 in pump I2 is always open to duct outlet 1, and delivery hole 23 is open to duct 24 On the main casting 5. The purpose of this adjustment is twofold, firstly, the height by which the external end of plunger l3 extends above the tread of passing wheels, determines the stroke and displacement of the pump, and this is increased by raising the pump 12 and decreased by lowering. It is also found in practice that the rails towhich the lubricators are fixed may have their upper surface more or less worn down, and the adjustable feature of the pump permits of the apparatus being fixed to such rails and correctly set without altering the main casting, and particularly the bearing points it previously referred to.

While grease leaving holes 22 has been described as being discharged into duct 24 whence it will be conveyed to the greasing plate through means connecting lugs 5 with the said plate, to be later more fully described, as an alternative the grease may be caused to leave the pump body l2 through an outlet for example 28 whence it may be conveyed to a greasing plate by means of a tube passing under or through the rail in any convenient way, which it is not necessary to describe further, and the detailed description of the method of conveying the grease to the place from which it is picked up, will be limited to the preferred method.

The fastening bolts ll preferably two in numher, and one to each lug 5 may pass through a hole in 5 and be screwed into the anchorage strip 29 which is placed against the web of the rail on the running side, but preferably the arrangement is reversed and use is made of a bolt having a somewhat longer head than the ordinary bolts of commerce, and under the hexagon head 30 is formed a circular collar 3|.

The small diameter part of bolt II is passed through the metal bar 29 which is substantially the same length as the greasing plate 32 and through a hole drilled through the neutral axis of the rail, and screwed into a hole 33 tapped in lug 5. This hole is prolonged beyond the end of bolt I I and forms a cavity into which grease discharged into duct 24 as previously described passes via hole 34 into hole 35 in bolt H thence through cross hole or holes 36 into space 31 around collar part 3! of bolt, thence into longitudinal channel 38 and vertical channels 39 into space 49 between top of anchor piece or bar 29 and underside of rail head from whence it passes through a plurality of vertical channels 4| to the face of the rail,

The space 31 mentioned above is caused by making the hole in the greasing plate 32 considerably larger than collar 3| of bolt II. This difference in diameter permits the greasing plate 32 to be adjusted in a vertical direction.

It will be seen that collar 3| is pulled up against anchor bar 29 and the latter is consequently pressed against the rail web, preferably with thin fibrous packing washer 42, this latter provides means of readily adjusting the face of 29 to the line of rail face, and also to prevent grease leaking downwards instead of only in the desired direction, that is upwards through grooves 41.

On the outside of plate 32 is a cover strip 43 which is used to seal effectively holes 31A (Figure 5A) against the escape of grease around bolts or screws 1 IA which hold plate 32 against anchor plate 29 at positions other than those occupied by bolts II.

In order to prevent the escape of grease around head 39 of bolt II a cap 44 is provided for each bolt, and this cap, when forced against strip 43 by bolt 45, not only prevents escape of grease, but helps to hold plate 32 against plate 29 and the rail face.

It will be seen that by slackening bolts or screws l IA and 45 the greasing plate 32 may be adjusted or removed without disturbing the attachment of the anchor plate 29 and grease cylinder l to the rail.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An automatic rail lubricator for supplying grease to the rail face comprising a plunger type of grease pump actuated directly by the tread of a vehicle wheel passing over the rail, a grease container having means for its attachment to the rail and carrying said pump, means for supplying grease from said container to said pump under pressure and a greasing plate for distributing grease delivered by said pump over the rail face, said pump being adjustably mounted upon said container to permit of said pump being raised or lowered to increase or decrease its effective stroke and thereby vary the quantity of grease supplied to the rail face and also to compensate for wear of the rail head, said pump being in the form of a self contained unit bolted in position upon a lug associated with said grease container, the pump casing having ports adapted to register with ports in the lug communicating with the grease container, said ports in said lug being larger than said ports in said pump casing to ensure registration in any position into which said pump may be moved for adjustment purposes.

2. An automatic rail lubricator for supplying grease to the rail face comprising a plunger type of grease pump actuated directly by the tread of a vehicle wheel passing over the rail, a grease container having means for its attachment to the rail and carrying said pump, means for sup plying grease from said container to said pump under pressure and avgreasing plate for distributing grease delivered by said pump over the rail face, said pump being adjustably mounted upon said container to permit of said pump being raised or lowered to increase or decrease its effective stroke and thereby vary the quantity of grease supplied to the rail face and also to compensate for wear of the rail head, said pump being in the form of a self contained unit bolted in position upon a lug associated with said grease container, the pump casing having ports adapted to register with ports in the lug communicating with the grease container, said ports in said lu'g being larger than said ports in said pump casing to ensure registration in any position into which said pump may be moved for adjustment purposes, said grease container and pump having means for their attachment to the rail adjacent its outer face, said greasing plate being adapted for location adjacent the inner surface of the rail.

3. An automatic rail lubricator for applying grease to the rail face comprising a lubricant container having means for its attachment to the rail, a plunger type grease pump actuated directly by the wheel tread and comprising a selfcontained unit adjustably mounted on the lubricant container external thereto, means for supplying lubricant from said container to the pump under pressure and a greasing plate for distributing lubricant delivered by the pump over the rail face.

4. An automatic rail lubricator for applying lubricant to the rail face comprising a lubricant container having means for attachment to the rail, a plunger type pump comprising a complete pump'unit adjustably mounted on the lubricant container external thereto, means for supplying lubricant from the container to the pump under pressure, a fixed greasing plate for distributing lubricant deliveredby the pump over the rail face, and a non-return valve device associated with the pump for segregating the pump from the greasing plate after each supply of lubricant has been delivered thereto.

GUY CLEMENT HURRELL. 

